AAA: Western PA Gas Prices Steady; Hurricane Ida Disrupts Gas Production
Gas prices in Western Pennsylvania are stable this week at $3.323 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                 $3.323
Average price during the week of August 23, 2021                                  $3.326
Average price during the week of August 31, 2020                                  $2.584

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$3.293      Altoona
$3.353      Beaver
$3.359      Bradford
$3.346      Brookville
$3.328      Butler
$3.359      Clarion
$3.319      DuBois
$3.346      Erie
$3.305      Greensburg
$3.299      Indiana
$3.280      Jeannette
$3.303      Kittanning
$3.356      Latrobe
$3.345      Meadville
$3.369      Mercer
$3.281      New Castle
$3.279      New Kensington
$3.359      Oil City
$3.332      Pittsburgh
$3.299      Sharon
$3.287      Uniontown
$3.359      Warren
$3.278      Washington

Trend Analysis:

The national gas price average decreased by two cents as of Sunday, the cheapest price since early July, but was back up a penny to $3.15 Monday morning following Hurricane Ida. The storm has left more than one million people in Louisiana and Mississippi without power and taken about 13% of U.S. refining capacity offline. There were nine oil refineries in Ida’s path; at least four were believed to have shut down operations ahead of the storm.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.32 to settle at $68.74 as production ramped down ahead of Hurricane Ida. As the storm continues, over 95% of oil production in the Gulf Coast region remains shuttered. In addition, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reports that 288 out of 560 manned offshore platforms have been evacuated; all 11 of the non-dynamically positioned rigs have been evacuated; and 10 of the 15 dynamically positioned rigs have moved out of the storm’s path as a precaution. For this week, crude prices will likely increase, at least temporarily, in response to reduced supply. However, as the storm clears and damage is assessed, production will gradually return to normal operations and help to stabilize prices as supply increases.

Until the power is restored, it’s too early to know the full impact of any damage Ida caused on the oil and gas industry, but motorists regionally can expect price fluctuations leading into Labor Day weekend. Typically, a category 4 storm could mean three plus weeks before refineries are back to normal operations, while offshore production is more likely to resume this week.

As a precautionary measure, Colonial Pipeline announced on Sunday that they shut down two main lines that run from Houston, TX, to Greensboro, NC. The company added that following an infrastructure inspection after the storm, the pipeline would be back to full service. Gas prices nationally, especially in the southeast and east coast, will see minimal impact at the pump if the pipeline is down for a matter of hours versus days. AAA will continue to monitor the latest oil and gas developments resulting from Ida and provide updates, especially on the re-opening of the Colonial Pipeline.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(Leetsdale, Pa.) Parents and citizens attending Monday night’s Quaker Valley school board meeting expressed their displeasure with the boards decision to make a universal mask policy in the district.
Before the meeting even kicked off, people outside were protesting the universal mask mandate currently in place for the school district. Parents don’t feel that the district has the right to force their children to mask up.

During the meeting some parents did speak and they praised the board’s decision.

The School Board stands behind their decision for universal masking in the district.

Ex-lawmaker to run for lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former state lawmaker and two-time congressional candidate from the Pittsburgh area says he’ll run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor next year. Rick Saccone said Monday that he’ll make a formal announcement Sept. 10. Saccone drew attention Jan. 6 when he posted videos online from outside the U.S. Capitol that appeared to support the violent insurrection by supporters of then-President Donald Trump to prevent Congress from confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Saccone said Monday that he hasn’t had any run-in with law enforcement over his statements and insisted he knew of no violence at the Capitol until he was at his bus, ready to leave.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three dozen Pennsylvania advocacy groups sent a letter last week to the state’s congressional delegation, calling on them to ensure the trillion-dollar infrastructure package includes investments that would benefit the Appalachia region.

The letter calls for expanding and electrifying public transportation, among many other climate-related solutions.

Vanessa Lynch, Pennsylvania field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, said closing leaks from the state’s several hundred thousand orphan wells could help decrease air and water pollution.

“When we talk about climate change and its impacts on local communities, everything from extreme-heat days to major flooding and landslide events, which are some of the most common things we see in Pennsylvania, plugging orphan wells is one of the best ways to decrease methane emissions,” Lynch asserted.

Pennsylvania has a third of the nation’s abandoned mine acreage. A proposed $4.7 billion in the infrastructure bill would go toward plugging and reclaiming orphan wells. This month, the Senate passed the legislation with large bipartisan support. The House has committed to vote by the end of September.

Bobby Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, said a big issue among Appalachian communities is water contamination from abandoned mine drainage, which results in trace metals ending up in rivers and streams. The letter calls for funding for remediating abandoned mine lands, which Hughes supports.

“We consider treatment of water a public infrastructure-type project,” Hughes explained. “And more of that needs to be out there for consideration so that companies or even municipalities could kind of get in on trying to create jobs and build the infrastructure that’s needed to treat this water.”

The letter also calls for targeted hiring programs for historically disadvantaged communities, along with bringing reliable internet access to rural areas and city neighborhoods.

PNC to raise base wages to $18 an hour, latest bank to do so
By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — PNC Bank is the latest large U.S. financial services company to increase wages in a bid to keep and attract employees. It is raising its minimum wage to $18 an hour while also giving higher-paid workers a bump in pay. The bank said Monday that the wage increase will apply to both PNC employees as well as those working for BBVA USA, which PNC acquired last year. Base-level PNC employees will see their wages increase from $15 an hour to $18, a 20% pay raise. The increase is more substantial at BBVA, which had an $11 minimum wage before PNC bought the bank.

Federal aid ending for hundreds of thousands in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will lose federal unemployment benefits after this week, including an extra $300 per week, an extra 13 weeks of benefits and benefits for the self-employed. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday that there are sources of help for people who need it once those benefits run out, including federal rental assistance through counties, Medicaid, food stamps and temporary cash-assistance for low-income families. The state’s regular 26-week unemployment compensation benefits will continue, without the extra $300 federal benefit on top. The American Rescue Plan Act, signed by President Joe Biden in March, extended those federal benefits and set them to expire after this week.

(Pittsburgh, PA) Highmark’s Fifth Avenue Place headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh will glow purple on August 31 to commemorate International Overdose Awareness Day. International Overdose Awareness Day is an annual, global event to end overdoses, remember without stigma those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind.

The commemorative light-up of Fifth Avenue Place is one component of Highmark’s broader recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, and its comprehensive approach to combat substance use disorder that focuses on primary prevention, safe prescribing, high-quality treatment, community supports and combating stigma.

Through these efforts, Highmark has reduced opioid-related overdoses among its commercial risk, Medicare Advantage and Affordable Care Act members in Pennsylvania by about 20 percent over the past three years.

“The COVID-19 pandemic’s financial, social and healthcare access challenges have hit families across the communities that we serve and across the nation—which is reflected in the record number of overdose-related deaths recorded in the U.S. in 2020,” says Dr. Caesar DeLeo, vice president and executive medical director of strategic initiatives for Highmark. “We remain highly committed to preventing the harms caused by substance abuse and promoting recovery along with our many partners in health care, government, education, business, and social services.”

Harnessing the power of its own team members, Highmark has established a grass-roots organization known as LEARN. LEARN is comprised of more than 600 Highmark, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and other Highmark companies’ team members who come together to Learn more about substance use disorders; Educate others; Advocate for reforms and effective treatment, and support Recovery and Network amongst themselves, within their communities and organizations to dispel stigma and promote harm reduction.

In addition to driving the Fifth Avenue Place light-up commemoration for International Overdose Awareness Day, LEARN hosted a webinar for Highmark and AHN team members

about substance use disorders and coping with grief and loss, and created a video to pay tribute to loved ones and friends that they have lost.

“In 2021, LEARN has also created a more recovery-friendly workplace, spotlighted the dangers of synthetic opioids, explored the science of addiction, combated stigma, and celebrated professionals in recovery,” says Ashley Potts, a co-founder of LEARN and substance use disorder program manager for Highmark. “We have so many team members who want to be a positive force at work, at home and in the community, and LEARN provides those opportunities through education and advocacy.”

Highmark has also reduced by 23 percent the number of Pennsylvania members who are newly prescribed opioids over the past three years, and increased by 20 percent the number of members who receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) after being diagnosed with opioid use disorder or after being brought into treatment for opioid use disorder. MAT is high-quality, evidenced-based treatment that supports patients with a multi-disciplinary care team and medications that allow individuals to stop abusing opioids without experiencing powerful drug cravings or severe withdrawal symptoms.

Highmark supports community organizations and programs fighting the opioid epidemic in its core markets. Highmark’s Financial Investigations and Provider Review (FIPR) Team has also engaged more than 10,000 students, parents and educators in western Pennsylvania through its Opioid Epidemic Education Program. The program empowers people with knowledge and resources to respond to opioid dependence in their communities.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Hopewell Township Fire Chief  Mike Wasik reported Sunday night that two fires were caused by lightning Sunday afternoon. The homes were on Sweet Briar Drive and Ivy Court. No other fires were reported in the area according to Beaver County 9-1-1. No one was injured in either fire, the chief reported.

He thanked the mutual aid departments that assisted at  the fire scenes. They were:, Aliquippa, , Monaca, Crescent and Raccoon Townships

(Big Beaver Boro, Pa.) Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that they were called to the scene of a two vehicle accident along the Pa Turnpike east at exit 13 in Big Beaver Boro last Thursday evening around 6:55 PM
Troopers report via release that a 2019 Ford Focus that was being driven by 26-year-old Emily Shafer of Wampum was attempting to merge onto the turnpike when she failed to yield to a 2019 Peterbuilt truck being driven by 21-year-old Lloyd Shipman of Wabash Indiana.

As Shafer merged the truck being driven by Shipman struck the left rear of her vehicle with the right front of the truck.
No one was injured in the accident and Shafer was issued a written warning for not yielding properly when merging into traffic from an entrance ramp.